Inspiring Stories

“When haters go after your looks and differences … you know you’re winning.” This is a powerful statement from a powerful young girl, and just one example of what makes Greta Thunberg so unique and special. Even at the young age of 15, Greta Thunberg is very well known for her environmental activism, but right

Justin Bieber has gotten a lot of flack in recent years, from the media and his fans alike, for his increasingly outlandish and bad behavior. From illegally bringing his pet monkey into Germany to peeing in a mop bucket at a restaurant, the newly adult Bieber has seemed a far cry from the teen singing

For most of us, true love happens just once in a lifetime. But for one couple, it ended up happening twice, in a most unusual way! Two years ago, tragedy struck and, at only 23 years old, Laura Faganello suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was a freak accident where a pole fell on her

With the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death upon us, it’s a poignant time to look back at the important role she played in society and the royal family. She wasn’t just the former wife of a future king (and mother of the next king) and a style icon. She was a woman who used her

The Amazon is on fire, and the damage seems insurmountable. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and think things are just too severe to make a difference, but there’s always something we can do to make a terrible situation easier to handle. With his latest Instagram post, Leonardo DiCaprio proved just that, announcing a major initiative

Almost two decades ago, a bright star was lost. To this day, the world is still mourning that woman — and what she represented. August 25 marks the 18th anniversary of the very sad and untimely death of Aaliyah, when she was just 22 years old. But is the tragedy of Aaliyah’s death overshadowing the

A former child refugee tracked down a man who, decades ago, gave her a special gift during an act of extreme generosity –- and then got to thank him in a poignant reunion! Mevan Babakar lived in a refugee camp in the Netherlands after she and her family fled the Gulf War in the 1990s.

Sometimes, people let us down, and it can be hard to trust again –- but friendship and renewed trust can come from the most unexpected of places — like man’s best friend. After Luke Salmon, a 15-year-old boy from Kent, England, was bullied at school because of his psoriasis, his mom Lauren was really worried

Madonna, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha. These are just a few powerhouse, brilliant, women, forces to be reckoned with, who have often been misunderstood, their bold, platform changing ways being relegated to the status of “bad girl” or “troublemaker.” It might seem easy to dismiss Ke$ha as a party girl known for such raunchy songs as “Tik

Social House, made up of Mikey Foster and Scootie Anderson, are a musical duo who first made their footprint in the music industry by writing and producing for stars like Jennifer Lopez, Meghan Trainor, NCT 127, and Ariana Grande — for whom they co-wrote several songs on her platinum album Thank U, Next. Their move

Character actor Danny Trejo may be known for his intimidating, tough-guy persona due to his villainous roles in movies like Desperado and TV shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, but he was quite the hero recently when he rescued a baby trapped in a car wreck in Los Angeles. This was nothing like

Five years ago, the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS had taken over our news and social media feeds. Millions of people and plenty of major celebrities have dumped buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was a trend that went viral — and

It’s easy to talk the talk, but it’s not as easy to walk the walk, and when Greta Thunberg travels across the Atlantic to attend UN climate summits, it’d be fair to assume she’d fly. But she won’t. Instead, she’s going to live the message she’s trying to convey, and will be sailing across the

Celebrities may feel larger than life, like they don’t live with the same needs as the rest of us, but they do. Celebrities also go through hard times, and when they do, they often only make it through with the support of their friends. Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Selma Blair has been leaning

There’s nothing more terrifying than feeling adrift and out of control – now imagine if you are a six-year-old girl in the ocean! When a little girl recently was swept out to sea on a raft, her father frantically called for a lifeguard – but there was none to be found. Instead, the four Butler

When a family hiking excursion left Jeremiah Peterson out of breath, he realized it was time to focus on his health. “I remember being bent over heaving just trying to catch my breath,” Peterson, of Missoula, Montana, told People. “When I looked up, I saw my wife and three kids [10, 8 and 7] easily

Being in her presence is thrilling and unsettling, interacting with her even more so. Her head turns, her eyes blink, and her mouth moves as she speaks. Her hair is brown hair is short and streaked through with caramel-colored highlights, her neck and ears are draped in pearls. She pauses between thoughts, peppers statements with

Life is grand — rich and monumental, not unlike a grand piano. It inevitably uses gravity to return finally return us to a state of inertia, the same way gravity keeps our bodies tethered to the Earth as we experience life. My maternal grandmother has always loved playing the piano and although she’s felt a

Ariana Grande has gone through a lot the last few years, and she’s done it all in the public eye. First, her concert in Manchester, England was attacked by a suicide bomber who killed 23 fans and parents. Just two weeks later, Grande rallied with a charity concert to support the victims and survivors, One

Sometimes, people are so trained to keep their feelings to themselves, they forget how to share feelings with others – or allow others to share their feelings with them. Last fall, Hussain Manawer, who himself had a history of depression, conducted The Oxford Street Experiment, where he hugged strangers in the streets in London to

A Tony win, especially one for best actress, is a crowning achievement for any performer. For Ali Stroker, who stars as Annie Ado in Broadway’s Oklahoma! revival, it’s a doubly significant moment. Not only was she recognized as Best Featured Actress in a Musical, but Stroker’s early June win also marked a historic first: she’s

This past weekend, the Flying Wallendas defied death and shocked the world on live television, succeeding in being the first high wire team to cross New York’s Times Square on a tightrope 25 stories above the city streets. They did it as a team, on live TV — that’s pretty exciting in its own right (and terrifying) but

Love is not a limited resource, and some people seem to have it in spades. One example is a couple from Utah who adopted a baby boy five years ago and now have adopted his baby sister — all after their birth mom’s request to keep her children together! Joseph and Shanna Weight got a

Handsome and humble, there’s a reason so many fans are starry-eyed over the one and only Hugh Jackman. This Australian-born actor, singer, and producer has gained a remarkable amount of praise from his vast variety of performances, from an 18-year stint as Wolverine as part of the X-Men series to his magical vocals in Les

As a travel journalist, my texts with friends almost always go like this: “Hey, want to get drinks on Thursday?” “Sorry, I can’t! I’m going to a hotel opening in Miami this weekend for work. How about next?” “Tough life, Linds!” Before you nod along with my pals here, I will preface with this: I

Robert Downey Jr. is known for his decades of acting — particularly for his stint as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but he’s actually quite the philanthropist and environmentalist. To that end, he’s recently announced an exciting new project that he hopes will clean up the planet in a big way. Downey

The Office‘s Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute are two of the most often referenced characters in TV history, spawning countless memes. Even years after cult hit series has ended, the exploits of Dunder Mifflin employees are still very much relevant to fans. And for two people, The Office expertise was the difference between life and

The world was devastated to learn a few months ago that beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a cancer with an often-grim diagnosis. In open and emotional announcement, Trebek promised to fight his illness aggressively, and thankfully, it’s a fight he now seems to be winning! “It’s kind of

When it was revealed that MacKenzie Bezos was divorcing the world’s richest man, her split with Jeff Bezos made international headlines for a billion reasons. There was a lot of speculation about the circumstances behind the break up, about what MacKenzie would do next, and above all, how much money she would get in the

I am terrified. I’ve run away to a tropical island in Malaysia, far from everyone I love and everyone who loves me. I am lost. I feel empty, apathetic, lonely. I am confused, hurt. Without motivation, without drive, and incredibly not myself. But wholly myself, at the same time– and that scares me. I was